Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer were The Hit-Making Duo were the hottest producers of the '80s. Producers that were well-known for the Beverly Hills Cop films (but not for the third installment, where Eddie Murphy was okay but the film was crap). Simpson and Bruckheimer shared a desk. Simpson was the "idea man" and Bruckheimer was running the show on the set of their films, making sure everything was nothing less than perfection and that the character development was nothing less than convincing. Their films Beverly Hills Cop I-II, Flashdance, Top Gun, Days Of Thunder altogether grossed over 1 billion bucks. After Days of Thunder the duo moved away from Paramount and onto Disney. They made small, independent character driven films, such as Thief Of Hearts (did anybody catch that one, no less remember it?).
NOW....
Producer Don Simpson (died in January of 1996)
Producer Jerry Bruckheimer
Don Simpson (1996) and Jerry Bruckheimer in the 90s
Three filmless years followed but they managed to get The Ref onto the big screen in 1994. The movie bombed at the box office and it seemed like the end. Wrong!. A young music video director named Michael Bay, who worked on a music video for Days of Thunder came along and directed 1995's Bad Boys under the Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer credit. The film's budget was a shy $20 million, but the film opened up to $15 million opening week! Hollywood and critics started to notice that in the 90's, The Duo knew what sold. Bad Boys grossed around $65 million, and it just got better with Crimson Tide (grossed $91 million), Dangerous Minds (horrible reviews, a brutal re-edit after test screenings, a hit soundtrack...but Dangerous Minds grossed $85 million!) and The Rock (bad reviews, a hit soundtrack....the film went on to gross $138 million!). "I make movies I want to see," Bruckheimer says. "Usually when I'm done with a movie I sneak into a movie theater, sit in the front row...I like to look back at 'em, watch people laugh, maybe reach some emotion and have them cry." Simpson said that "This is only the beginning, the beginning of the beginning. It's not the middle, it's certainly not the end." And he was damn right...except for "It's certainly not the end". Everyone knew Simpson was depressed, had emotional problems and abused drugs behind the scenes. Bruckheimer became increasingly frustrated at his partner's lack of day-to-day participation in their company. On Dec. 20, 1995 Daily Variety announced that The Duo were ending their partnership. Only The Rock and Bad Boys II would have the A Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Production" credit. But the worst had yet to happen.
Don Simpson sadly died on January 19, 1996 in his Bel Air mansion during the filming of The Rock. Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay cried in their trailer when they got the call they never wanted to get. But production went on, and The Rock was the fifth biggest hit of 1996. Then in 1997 came CON AIR under the new Jerry Bruckheimer Films company name (and logo!). CON AIR grossed $110 million. And with Armageddon, Bruckheimer's biggest, coolest and best film, the hits will just keep on coming (The Rock 2, anyone?) Even though this site is dedicated to all of the upcoming Jerry Bruckheimer Films, we still keep Don Simpson's name on that welcome logo when you enter this site to somewhat honor him and show that we, the fans have never forgotten about him. The Rock 2. Beverly Hills Cop IV. Down and Under. Enemy Of The State. Apaches. Bad Boys II. Bottom Line? Even without the late Don Simpson, action producer Jerry Bruckheimer knows what we all want, and of course, we get it!
